Boniface Okoro in Umuahia
The Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has declared that he will quit active politics after completing his tenure in 2031, ruling out a bid for the Senate and expressing his desire to see younger people take up leadership roles.
The governor also said that leadership succession should be based on identifying the most suitable person for the job, rather than perpetuating a “sit-tight” culture, adding that his successor would emerge by merit.
Otti made these known at the weekend, while receiving the 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr. Ngozika Gladys, and her supporters, who defected to the Labour Party (LP), in Umuahia, Abia State.
The governor said his priority was to leave behind a legacy of good governance and facilitate the emergence of a successor who would improve on his administration’s achievements.
“What I can assure you is that by the time I’m done, the person that will succeed me will be better than me,” Otti said.
He stated that he was determined to give younger Nigerians an opportunity to assume leadership rather than remain in politics indefinitely.
“Once I finish this one, I will retire. I want the young people to take over. We should stop this sit-tight system,” he said.
He disclosed that he would not seek to control the state’s politics from outside government as a godfather, insisting that the choice of his successor should be based on collective consideration of the available candidates.
He further stated that he had no interest in contesting for the Senate after leaving office, stressing that his attention remained on implementing his administration’s mandate.
Otti said: “The most important thing you can give a people is good governance.
“And once people test good governance, it will be very difficult for them to allow you to take them back.
“So, if you are afraid that we will go back to Egypt, it will never happen and what I can assure you is that, by the time I’m done, the person who will succeed me will be better than me.
“I don’t want to be a godfather and I don’t tolerate godfathers.
“We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, who is the best person for this job and then all of us will agree and we will campaign for him.
“He will win and we will take a back seat.”
On the pace of development in the state, Otti said his administration had adopted a strategic approach by addressing critical areas in phases, given the extent of the challenges confronting the state.
“This is just about 39 months. Everything cannot be done in one day, particularly in a place that has been badly managed in the last 24 years. It takes a lot of time, resources and planning,” the governor said.
Otti said the administration began its interventions by concentrating on Aba and Umuahia, before expanding projects to communities across the hinterland.
“The most important areas for us were to restore Aba and Umuahia. And I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that we have literally restored those cities.
“We are now moving into the hinterlands, and we will continue until we reach everywhere,” he added.
The governor also recalled Ngozika Gladys’s participation in the 2023 governorship election, describing her decision to contest on the SDP platform as courageous.
He welcomed her into the Labour Party and commended her for bringing children from the School for the Blind to the event, describing concern for vulnerable persons as an important component of building an inclusive society.
Speaking earlier, Ngozika Gladys, said her decision to join the Labour Party followed her assessment of developments recorded in the state under the Otti’s administration.